1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to foot retaining clips for retaining feet on pedals and for providing increased pedal utility.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a foot retaining clip adapted for use with a pedal such as a bicycle pedal or mountain bike pedal and which allows ready escape of the foot in the event that this is desired.
In a further and more specific aspect, the instant invention concerns an apparatus and a method for providing a foot retaining clip having a first extended position whereby a foot may be inserted therein and a second retracted position whereby the foot retaining clip is inconspicuously cached and does not interfere with normal operation of a pedal or pedalled vehicle.
2. Prior Art
Foot retaining clips of great variety in construction and purpose are often employed for securing a rider's foot to a pedal in applications such as bicycles, mountain bikes and motorcycles. As employed herein, the term "bicycle" is used for the sake of convenience and brevity to include other pedalled apparatus comprising bicycles, mountain bikes, pedal-operated boats, motorcycles and the like, tricycles, unicycles, tandem bicycles, exercise and gymnastic equipment and any other devices wherein pedals or pedalling apparatus are desired and/or useful.
Foot retaining clips provide improved foot contact with the pedal, reduce the probability that the foot may slip from the pedal during vigorous pedalling or riding and improve the efficiency of pedalling by allowing power to be delivered to the crankshaft from the rider during both the downstroke and also the upstroke of the foot. Many such foot retaining clips present problems to a rider, either in the course of normal use of the foot retaining clip or in those instances where the rider elects to pedal without the benefits of the foot retaining clip. A number of prior art foot retaining clips comprise loops of cloth, metal or other materials disposed on one side of the pedal, which arrangements are often referred to in the vernacular as "traps" indicative of the fact that the foot is trapped therein (i.e., lateral and forward foot motions are blocked) in the course of normal use.
A problem which has been encountered with such approaches is a tendency for the combination of the loops, etc. to weigh one side of the pedal (the side bearing the foot retaining clip) down and so present the other side of the pedal to the rider's foot, requiring that the rider somehow rotate the pedal "on the fly" in order to be able to insert a foot into the combined foot retaining clip and pedal. A further problem may be encountered in the event that the rider wishes to rapidly remove the foot from the foot retaining clip/pedal combination. Because foot retaining clips of this type tend to simultaneously restrict forward, vertical and sideways motion of the foot, the foot can only be extracted by rearward motion, which rearward motion may or may not be convenient or even possible in a given set of circumstances and which may impede the rider's ability to react to rapid changes in balance or traffic.
An additional problem which may be encountered arises when the rider elects not to employ the foot retaining clip but instead pedals using the other side of the pedal. The foot retaining clip then hangs beneath the pedal and may collide with or snag on objects disposed along the vehicle's trajectory, or with the roadway itself, for example in the course of executing turning maneuvers. This sequence of events can have disastrous results for the rider, particularly in the context of mountain bikes, where the actions of the rider, the nature of the terrain being traversed and the likelihood of encountering snaggable objects combine in such a way as to render likelihood of such a snag more probable.
Racing bicycles are generally provided with foot retaining and pedalling enhancement devices and often in a form differing from the "trap" type of foot retaining clip. One example employs a modified pedal having a socket disposed therein together with a modified shoe having a knob disposed on the sole thereof and adapted to "snap fit" the socket in the pedal.
However, the projecting knob renders the shoe poorly suited to walking and as well the pedal is poorly adapted for use without the shoe. The rider is obligated to employ the shoe in order to be able to ride with the convenience and utility expected and desired.
Further, the rider is restricted in the activities which the rider can carry out concomitant with riding the bicycle. This may cause inconvenience, either in the form of restricted scope of activity or in the need to carry (and change into and out of) additional footgear in order to be able to accommodate other activities, such as hiking, climbing, picnicking, photography and the like.
An additional problem often encountered in foot retaining clips of this sort results from the need for special pedals and the need to install the special pedals. It is cumbersome to remove the pedals in order to equip the bicycle with the special pedals or to reinstall conventional pedals not requiring a special shoe. It is thus inconvenient to ride the bicycle having the special pedals absent the special shoes or to (re)adapt the bicycle to be readily operable with normal shoes.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide foot retaining clips allowing ready and easy foot ingress and egress, facilitating pedalling and without compromising foot mobility when the rider is not actively engaged in riding.
In order to combat these varied problems, some form of clip which acts to retain the foot and allow pedalling during both upstrokes and downstrokes is desired. It is extremely desirable to retain the foot without restraining the foot, allowing for ready disengagement of the foot on short notice and allowing disengagement in more than one direction.
The prior art has also provided variations of the above described apparatus for foot retaining clips or otherwise securing a rider's foot to a pedal to facilitate riding.
While the various mentioned prior art devices function as apparatus for securing or retaining a rider's foot to a pedal and/or facilitating pedalling, certain inherent deficiencies preclude adequate, satisfactory performance for the purpose of general riding comfort and safety in the event of any form of accident or mishap and in mounting and dismounting of the vehicle.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improvements in foot retaining clips for bicycle pedals which permit ready ingress of a foot.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved foot retaining clip which facilitates ready and rapid egress of a foot.
And another object of the present invention is to provide an improved foot retaining clip having a first position which facilitates pedalling and having a second position which does not compromise rider safety or ease of use of the bicycle.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a foot retaining clip which is self-positioning in a way that facilitates entrance or placement of the foot.
Yet another object of the instant invention is to provide a foot retaining clip which attaches to the rear lateral aspect of the pedal and which facilitates pedal entrance and exit.
Yet still another object of the instant invention is the provision of a foot retaining clip which may be opened from the retracted position with a release button and spring mechanism.
And a further object of the invention is to provide a foot retaining clip which can be readily adopted by foot while "on the fly".
Still a further object of the immediate invention is the provision of a foot retaining clip which may be adjusted in heighth above the pedal and which provides an adjustable cross-member for accommodating differing foot and/or shoe sizes.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a detachable and adjustable toe strap for providing greater foot retention.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a foot retaining clip having a feature whereby the foot is provided with greater latitude of motion while in the foot retaining clip.
Yet a further additional object of the invention is to provide a foot retaining clip for a pedal which facilitates lateral or rear exit of the foot from the foot retaining clip.
And still a further object of the invention is the provision of a foot retaining clip, according to the foregoing, which is intended to latch in either of two positions, one of which is adapted for use as a foot retaining clip and the other of which does not compromise rider safety or ease of use of the pedal.